This mod attempts to recreate the look and feel of Raising The Bar.
It contains four chapters, each unconnected.
The sole author continues to work on the mod and hopes to release the maps in stages.
This mod requires the installation of Source SDK Base 2007.
Basic Details
- Title: Cremation
- File Name: hl2-ep2-sp-cremation.7z
- Size : 785MB
- Author: psilocibinum
- Date Released: 25 February 2015
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Download Options
Download to your HDD [785MB]
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Manual Installation Instructions
- Copy the cremation folder into your …\Steam\SteamApps\SourceMods folder.
- Restart or start Steam.
- Cremation should now be listed in your Library tab.
If you require more help, please visit the Technical Help page.
Videos
Screenshots
WARNING: The screenshots contain spoilers.
Reader Recommendations
Total Downloads
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2,061Overall
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0Today
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1Last 7 days
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11Last 30 days
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95365 days
Meta Review Data
Statistics based on 10 comment(s) with meta review data.
Installed:
Using Gauge: Users
Manually: 10 Users
Time Taken:
Average: 0 Hours, 42 Mins
Shortest: 0 Hours, 15 Mins by medve a maci
Longest: 1 Hours by Capt.Host
Total Time Played: 7 Hours
Using Gauge: Users
Manually: 10 Users
Time Taken:
Average: 0 Hours, 42 Mins
Shortest: 0 Hours, 15 Mins by medve a maci
Longest: 1 Hours by Capt.Host
Total Time Played: 7 Hours
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As the screenshots show, I have only played the first chapter: Canals, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to playing the other 3 tonight.
Be warned though, this is hardcore. Even on easy, two or three hits and you are dead.
I found the whole feel to be very well done. I can’t comment on how close it was to the Beta or any other videos or media because I have’t really looked, all I know is that even without knowing the history behind the release, it looked good and was fun to play.
I say you should try it.
Hey Phillip!! maybe a HL2 Beta style competition would be great to run!! Wouldn’t it? đ
I second that.
Even though I feel this mod is pretty rough in its gameplay and pacing, the atmosphere inspired by the Beta is captivating. I would love to see some kind of competition specifically for the Half Life 2 Beta, I think many modders/mappers would be inspired by the amount of Beta concept art and assets that are out there, if not for the underlying story behind it. The Air-Exchange, the Manhack Arcade, the old trainstation… I would love to see someone’s rendition of those, or just an inspired look at that Half-Life 2 that never was.
cool!!
philip being over enthusiastic again with that rating. mod is incredibly short (like 5 minues per map), full of fps leaks, no story, stupid instakill system doesnt even work…yes the maps are beautiful, but at what cost? if you like good lookin maps go check it out, but dont expect any kind of fluent gameplay.
Manually
Medium
15 Minutes
Hi buddy, I think you’re kind of rough on this one. I can perfectly see your point, and is absolutely respectable. But Is about the HL2 BETA aura, the most outstanding think of this mod, and honestly I think this is the only work we have in the HL2 community that captures that original meanted Dark eerie environment, shown in Raising The Bar.
Good to see this here đ I played this a while ago.
It’s 4 maps, recreating 4 distinct environments from the original HL2 beta storyline.
I’m a sucker for these kind of mods. I just find everything that was cut so brilliantly well done, it’s a shame that HL2 took a turn like that in the development. If Valve had stick to it’s initial plans, I believe that HL2 would have been a much bigger marvel and that we would have HL3 already (no episodes, though).
The scope of these 4 maps is huge. The victorian look of the city, the awesome atmosphere, the beautiful mapping, everything is fantastic. It was great seeing the cremator in action.
Also, the hardcore thing didn’t really bother me. There were very few enemies, as these are exploration maps.
Go ahead and play this. And then do some research about the HL2 Beta if you haven’t already.
I still hope that one day we’ll see a total remake of the Beta for Half-Life, like Lost Alpha was done for STALKER.
Manually
Hard
1 Hour
Oh Boy!!! I also eagerly hope for that.
Itâs a shame the Missing Information mod never really achieved to became that once dreamed absolute HL2 Beta mod, it once meanted to be⊠đ
First off, this mod is nearly impossible to play if you don’t have god mode on, so I would recommend turning that on before playing any of the maps. For me, this immediately jumps down the map one level since it can’t be played normally.
Anyways, these maps are made based on HL2 maps and features that never made it into the game, and for good reason. Most of the enemies were horrible to play against, and the whole “you can only get hit twice before dying” really makes the balance unfair toward the player and makes the mod more frustrating than fun, especially when the enemies tend to attack you before you have a chance of seeing them.
It’s kind of cool seeing what the environments of HL2 could have looked like, and even some of the shown environments made it into the final game, especially the last scene displaying the fight on the street.
If you are someone who is interested in what the game could have been, it’s a good mod to look at, but other than that, I really don’t think this mod has anything interesting to offer.
Manually
Medium
50 Minutes
Oh Boy!!! I also eagerly hope for that.
It’s a shame the Missing Information mod never really achieved to became that once dreamed absolute HL2 Beta mod, it once meanted to be… đ
No idea where the quote came from though. I’m not sure you meant to reply to my comment.
It was from the comment above yours. I pressed the wrong reply button.
Thanks for the warning. Its too bad, it sounds like it could have been so worthwhile, if only the author had considered the audience (ie; players). I can reclaim much needed SSD space now. đ
What do you mean about the author considering the players?
I simply mean that if a mod is made which requires players to use god mode to play it, and/or players continuously get killed and give up, then the author has taken a different approach which is more like trying to punish most players rather than making a game that can be enjoyed. I view that as being inconsiderate. Perhaps at most 5% of all mods made are like this, and it really bothers me to see it.
I understand you point but maybe he simply made a mod that he would enjoy. To be honest, I kinda enjoyed it that way. It made it interesting. People could make mods that most people would enjoy or a mod that they would enjoy. I respect both methods and I am sure you do too.
Yes I respect both methods, and in these rare instances I appreciate the heads up in the comments so that we can know in advance.
Other than the overall feel of the maps and the level of detail, it has no redeeming features. There’s no gameplay here (except for the last map), and most of the time I was lost :/
Manually
Medium
30 Minutes
Totally agree, go to GOD MODE and enjoy the atmosphere and art work, but there is no game play here.
There is, just not very much. It’s one of the criteria of the site that there must be gameplay.
Let me start off by saying that some of the beta images and videos that surfaced when HL2 was first announced looked incredible and I can understand why so many people are striving to recreate them. Cremation does a fantastic job of recreating the grim, polluted and run down feel that was apparent in those first media releases. However, it’s very clear why the game ultimately took things in a different direction.
What I can’t get my head around is the decision to add the two hit death feature and remove the HUD. This was in no way hinted in the original official media, with a hud clearly visible and the player obviously able to take more hits. This seems like a transparent attempt to make the very limited amount of combat in the mod more challenging and draw out the very short playtime.
I will admit that with reasonable damage and a heads up display I would have breezed through this much faster, but I would also have had a chance to take in the beautifully recreated environments and scripting that I was instead having to rush through so as not to get killed. For this reason I cannot recommend the mod, unless you plan to cheat your way through it.
Manually
Easy
25 Minutes
This map pack misses being a Personal Favorite only because there’s no cohesion to the maps and no story.
Knowing that it would be hard as heck AND that there was no HUD, I took the advice – save often – to heart, and made it through all but the last one without god mode. I did have to noclip through one door because for some reason a box continued to block one in one of the hallway / housing map doors.
The environments in this pack are stunning. The use of lighting and colors, skyboxes and overall texturing was just… amazing. Jaw dropping.
I didn’t mind at all not having a HUD. Normally I’d be put off a bit, but since the maps relied mostly on exploration and careful movement I didn’t find it to be at all a problem. In the fight on the last map, yes – I didn’t think much of that map, it seemed unfinished and quick, and too difficult given the enemies placement.
I certainly hope to see a long, cohesive and story-driven mod from this creator. Put these brilliant mapping skills to work. Yes, there were some overflow errors – I don’t think those really mar the maps overall effect.
These maps are like the scattered dreams of City 17 refugees during what little sleep they’d get.
Manually
Medium
30 Minutes
THAT’S A BRILLIANT IDEA FOR A HL2 BETA, EVEN NORMAL HL2 MOD!!!!
Heh, well get on it, man! đ (>_> not that I don’t already have several other ideas, but I don’t map. i write.)
Well, sadly I don’t map neither!! đ but if i were a mapper I sure do something like that! đ
I really regret not reading the comments before downloading this massive file. This isn’t really a mod but 4 separate maps that have a post-apocalyptic kind of feel.
Good points:
– Some very nice environments
– Enemies are new and interesting
Bad points:
– No HUD
– Ridiculous difficulty level.
– No connection between the maps
– No story that I could see
– Very buggy – lots of errors in the console and buffer warnings on the screen.
To be frank, if someone introduced a plot, connected the maps, made the difficulty level reasonable, and fixed the bugs then this has the potential to be really good. As it is, it is not worth the massive download.
This little mod was a nice touch of mystery as it is involved into the atmospheric and mythical aura of the HL2 Beta. Indeed I think the original HL2 Beta project was even more darker and sinister than the colorful HL2 we all have played. Well, in this mod through its all 4 maps you can see that meanted original darker aura, a strange but earie oppressive superb dark environment, even scary environment intended in the Raising the Bar Beta Concept.
Overall as is quite evident, i liked the whole dark environment in all the maps, though i felt this mod more like a mapping demonstration than a complete piece of work with plenty of combat in there. In fact combat is very scarce, and hardcore. So I guess the charm on this mod is about to explore that mysterious Beta environment, I also have to STRESS the overall difficulty of this mod is really hard, so be warn about it, though donât judge this mod bad for that, i encourage you to think about the BETA CONCEPT aura in it.
I think this modder could do a better mod with a bigger team on his side. Also I think is kind of sad not many modders are willing to do a HL2 Beta style map, maybe because is hard regarding technical skills, and actually I recall many HL2 Beta mods have been cancelled (Just take a look at MODDB). Actually we only have 2 decent ones: the great Missing Info mod and as far as i know, this one.
All in all, I think this is a PN mod if you are really passionate for HL2 history and Beta Concept. SO if youâre looking for mods with a Beta scenario well then You will have to try this one, almost mandatory. I also think this is special because we can actually fight a Cremator, thatâs a rare enemy on HL2 mods and it would be really nice if some other modders could introduce it in a creative way into a more complete HL2 Beta mod.
Finally I have to say Iâd love as a gamer, that if you are a mapper or a group of mappers, and you want to develop something into the HL2 Beta style definitely try it!!! In my opinion the Beta aura in HL2 mods is still very scarce and WE as a HL2 modding-playing community need a good HL2 Beta mod. I mean a longer mod, with a cool story in it, so develop that kind of project definitely worths the effort, no matter if we have to wait 10 years more!!! Id love to wait 10 years to have a full complete mod that recreates the HL2 Altern Beta Plot, that would be soo sweet, and I think it could be as good as the Black Mesa project which actually come to life and itâs xenian part is still on develop.
Manually
Medium
1 Hour
I feel giving this a “Play It Later” is misleading, but there’s no other way to communicate my thoughts about the mod. This mod is definitely a must play for anyone likes Half-life 2 and wants to see an alternate glimpse of what the game could have been. In a way, this mod is disorienting because it plays like a Source game set in a universe that feels very different, looks very different, and somewhat contradicts some of the design choices that made Half-life 2 great.
Of course, much of the different look comes from usage of beta material that was scrapped from the final release of Half-life 2. The goal of this mod is to recreate the original planned Half-life 2 game from the beta that still floats around. This is a large goal, especially for the one man team that’s currently working on it.
The major game changing feature, however, is the decisions to remove the HUD and give the player a 1 or 2 point health system. While, in concept, these would be great for someone looking for a hard-core kind of experience, it’s a bit awkward here. Without being able to tell how many bullets I have in reserve, I don’t know how to conserve. With only one to two health, I immediately die to even the most basic of enemy types (especially in dark areas where this situation is common). The levels currently don’t feel like they were designed to account for these issues in any way, and I feel at best, these features should be retooled in the future as an optional feature, and not the rule.
Another issue I have is the levels themselves. While they are gorgeous, and absolutely great to look at, they are very easy to get lost in. The lighting in the levels isn’t balanced right, and the player can easily miss paths to where they need to go next. On the opposite side of this, each level has geometry that makes it extremely easy for the player to get to places the player very clearly should not be. I wouldn’t normally fault a mod for a single spot where this is possible, but all four maps have some way to get somewhere unintended currently. They feel like they were made for looks, but with no attention to player experience while playing them.
The mod currently is definitely a must try, and anyone reading this should play it. It’s short enough that you won’t get bored or frustrated with it. However, it is flawed, and I’m not sure how well it’ll be received over time as it expands to more and more levels without addressing these issues I had with it.
Also, 785 Mb for four levels of play, ouch… :S
Manually
Medium
1 Hour
I love-hate this mod. I wouldn’t call it fun… because it’s not. In fact, it’s quite frustrating with the two-hit kill system, absence of HUD and crosshair and all. If they didn’t implement that bullshit, this would have easily been a Personal Fave. Hell, that alone would have given this mod a Think Twice from me if this were any other mod, but since the goal of this mod was (obviously) not gameplay, that wouldn’t be fair. Plus, the levels are so beautiful; I mean, really, the author did such a great job with the map designs. As far as recreating the look of Half-Life 2 beta, he hit the nail on the head. Gameplay wise, however, this is nothing like any of the Half-Life games.
Do you see why I’m torn over this?
If not, just look at those screenshots. I would say ‘play the game for yourself` but there’s another reason I’m giving this a Play It Later; that file size is disgusting, but justified with the scale of these maps (especially the first one).
This really should get a Maybe, as the audience this aims towards is uber Half-Life nerds who’d jump at the chance to play anything close to the HL2 beta (like me). However, it does such a good job of it that I couldn’t give it a Maybe. I’m still drooling over that first level, where I must have spent at least 1/3 of my time exploring every dead end and crevice (which there were plenty of).
If you really love Half Life 2, then get this – this is as close to the beta as you can get as far as aesthetics go. Just turn on god mode and explore, admire. If you want gameplay, then this isn’t for you – go play Missing Information.
Manually
Medium
1 Hour
I cannot give more than a maybe.
I was not so sure of what you were supposed to be shown.
Besides, I played the E3 reconstruction of Half-Life 2, so I knew what to expect when launching this mod.
Overall, it is not as good as I was expecting besides the levels which are fairly designed.
All thanks for responses)
I think to make the alternative version of modification (with HUD, and a large number of health). But in this case, the gameplay on the cremator_01 map will be spoiled. The stealth was the main reason for which I gave to the player 1hp.
p.s. it is the translation, I hope truly transferred thoughts
A year later Cremation looks gorgeous and still plays.
A more desolate look to the early HL landscape with nice sound effects and a very âG-Stringâ looking air vehicle add to the dystopian look.
The lack of a hud is not worrying as, unlike in G-string you have a crosshair and to be frank, it looks better for the lack of glowing symbols!
The lack of health makes every enemy the equivalent of HLâs infamous sniper, even headcrabs! Stealth and fleet of foot seem to be the way forward and then fade to black back to the menu screen!
No panic, load second map and away.
Ended up using âimpulse 101â to escape a flaming death from that creepy cremator! Maybe you are meant to avoid?
Last map is a firefight with some rebel friends.
Looks good, plenty to explore, insanely hard and fun? Well yes with consol help!
As for a rating, what exactly is meant by âplay it laterâ? I have, a year later. So is it better or worse now?
It simply means that people should play it eventually, but not stop what they are doing to play it.
Okay thanks, I’ve been reading it wrong all this time.
Embarrassed chuckle!
All though I do fear If left too long Valve may surprise us players with an update!
I appreciate the effort to create a new world but not at the expense of actual game play.
Manually
Easy
30 Minutes
Huge download that took like almost 20 minutes to unpack…started it and it looked great, we’re on to something here I thought…and 5 minutes later it seemed to be over as it went back to the desktop and steam, I got as far as talking to some wierd dude in a gas mask (played in god mode as well, but I usually do anyway)…then that was it….huh ? This could have been so much more, disappointed is too small a word.
Actually I’ve changed my mind after the second play, it looks great and it IS great, it’s just too short..